The present invention relates to assemblies for mounting ice making machines on top of ice and beverage dispensing machines.
As is known, ice/beverage dispensing machines include ice retaining hoppers or bins having top ice loading openings. A bin cover normally closes the bin opening and is removable to permit visual inspection of the bin and/or filling of the bin with ice. Filling may be manually accomplished by lifting and emptying buckets of ice into the bin until it is sufficiently full. To decrease the difficulties associated with manually filling bins and to minimize the occasions when the bins may be emptied of ice, it is known to mount an ice making machine or icemaker on top of the ice/beverage machine, so that ice made by the icemaker drops directly into the bin. However, the particular icemaker selected can be from one of several different manufacturers and, therefore, can have a footprint or dimensions that may or may not accommodate direct mounting of the icemaker on top of a given ice/beverage dispensing machine.
Accordingly, icemaker mounting adapters are often required for mounting ice making machines on top of ice and beverage dispensing machines. Advantageously, such an adapters should accommodate convenient visual inspection of and/or manual filling of an ice bin of the ice and beverage dispenser on which it supports an icemaker, while maintaining a sanitary seal between the bin and ambient and, at the same time, enabling convenient access to the ice making machine should repair or maintenance of the icemaker be required.